Stella Almost Drowned

[dianed]

Hi,

I always thought that every dog could swim, that it was a survival instinct but today we were at the Park and there's a lake close by. I threw the stick and stella went after it before realising it she'd jumped into the lake after the stick. I watched her grab the stick, then drop it as she realised she was in deep water for the first time. A look of sheer terror came over her and then she panicked and froze

She started sinking before moving her arms and legs again but her body was vertical and she kept bobbing up and down, I was frantically calling her to me and was just about to jump in to get her when she lunged forward and made it onto a ledge where she was able to jump out.

Can't every dog swim??? Is it just mine? She scared me half to death and now I feel nervous about it every time she goes near the lake I get worried.

Any suggestions? Anyone else have problems with their puppies/young dogs (staffy 12 mths) not being able to swim?

[dianed]

Hi I am having the same problem with my 20 month old GSD. I thought swimming came naturally to all dogs! My girl spent her first year as a city dog in a backyard before I adopted her six months ago, she has made a big adjustment to life on our 1000 acre Cattle Property.

The first time she saw a cow (my hand raised 3 year old fully grown cow who thinks its a dog and walks with us each day))she ran into the dam and promptly went under, surfaced then went under again,this was the middle of winter. I thought I was going to have to go in and rescue her but she was able to make it to the bank. In the last weeks since the weather has warmed up i take her and my 11 year old GSD to the dam, its become apparent that she doesn't know how to swim at all. Even having an older dog there has made no difference. She swims vertically, keeps her head out of the water, paddles furiously and generally panics.

I decided I,d go in and get her to come out to me and ended up with her trying to climb on top of me. Not a good idea at all! So now we sit and paddle in the shallows and fetch sticks when they float back in but no way will she go into any depth at all, hopefully in time she will learn to like the water.

[Starkehre]

Yes, I've been thinking about how to help her with this. I think I'll take her down to the dog beach at brighton and get in the water with her, she likes being close to me so I'd be surprised if she didn't follow me in.

Life jackets for dogs too funny! I guess it's not only Stella that has had problems swimming then if someone has spent the time creating a life jacket for them

I tend to find swimming with the dog in pools and beaches a bit of a headache. As your dog has already had that one panic, she will probably try and climb all over you and scratch you to pieces. This is what they do. Plus they have to keep moving in the water, so, you will hav to keep moving also to avoid her trying to climb on you like a rock.

If it was me, I would take your little girl along to a dog pool, and let her learn this way. I am sure, given the calm opportunity she will be fine. You will get to see exactly how she is going better if you are not in there with her, and she will not be clinging to you. she will learn to be a confident and independant swimmer in no time. I have always swum my dogs at dog pools. It is great and they love it. All different breeds over the years.

Personally, I would skip the life jacket. They can set the dog in the water at an unnatural balance (depending on the jacket and fit), and they just teach the dog to rely on the jacket. Pools are safe and supervised. The people there will help you if you need assistance. Just MHO

[FB Rescue_Adoption]

Yes, I've been thinking about how to help her with this. I think I'll take her down to the dog beach at brighton and get in the water with her, she likes being close to me so I'd be surprised if she didn't follow me in.

Life jackets for dogs too funny! I guess it's not only Stella that has had problems swimming then if someone has spent the time creating a life jacket for them

I tend to find swimming with the dog in pools and beaches a bit of a headache. As your dog has already had that one panic, she will probably try and climb all over you and scratch you to pieces. This is what they do. Plus they have to keep moving in the water, so, you will hav to keep moving also to avoid her trying to climb on you like a rock.

If it was me, I would take your little girl along to a dog pool, and let her learn this way. I am sure, given the calm opportunity she will be fine. You will get to see exactly how she is going better if you are not in there with her, and she will not be clinging to you. she will learn to be a confident and independant swimmer in no time. I have always swum my dogs at dog pools. It is great and they love it. All different breeds over the years.

Personally, I would skip the life jacket. They can set the dog in the water at an unnatural balance (depending on the jacket and fit), and they just teach the dog to rely on the jacket. Pools are safe and supervised. The people there will help you if you need assistance. Just MHO

Thanks for that, i found out yesterday that getting in the water at the beach with Stella might not have been such a good idea when she just about tore strips off my legs trying to climb up me! I think she was trying to climb up me like I was a rock!!! So, you said it! She did it!

It is now a job for the pool manager at Woofpurney, he was very helpful and funnily enough the second time I took Stella there she was a little better. I will be taking some pictures this week when we go on Friday to show you all.

[Starkehre]

Yes, I've been thinking about how to help her with this. I think I'll take her down to the dog beach at brighton and get in the water with her, she likes being close to me so I'd be surprised if she didn't follow me in.

Life jackets for dogs too funny! I guess it's not only Stella that has had problems swimming then if someone has spent the time creating a life jacket for them

I tend to find swimming with the dog in pools and beaches a bit of a headache. As your dog has already had that one panic, she will probably try and climb all over you and scratch you to pieces. This is what they do. Plus they have to keep moving in the water, so, you will hav to keep moving also to avoid her trying to climb on you like a rock.

If it was me, I would take your little girl along to a dog pool, and let her learn this way. I am sure, given the calm opportunity she will be fine. You will get to see exactly how she is going better if you are not in there with her, and she will not be clinging to you. she will learn to be a confident and independant swimmer in no time. I have always swum my dogs at dog pools. It is great and they love it. All different breeds over the years.

Personally, I would skip the life jacket. They can set the dog in the water at an unnatural balance (depending on the jacket and fit), and they just teach the dog to rely on the jacket. Pools are safe and supervised. The people there will help you if you need assistance. Just MHO

Thanks for that, i found out yesterday that getting in the water at the beach with Stella might not have been such a good idea when she just about tore strips off my legs trying to climb up me! I think she was trying to climb up me like I was a rock!!! So, you said it! She did it! ;)

It is now a job for the pool manager at Woofpurney, he was very helpful and funnily enough the second time I took Stella there she was a little better. I will be taking some pictures this week when we go on Friday to show you all.

Well done Stella. It is amazing how quick they pick it up. Most dogs will swim by themselves, fairly naturally, but it comes quicker and smoother if the situation and environment is more ideal. I think the whole stick in the damn thing was just a bit of a shock to her. She probably was in such drive chasing the stick that she did not even notice the water and became terrified when she hit it and realised. She will be fine now. :rolleyes:

[GSD-Girl]

Hi Stella1,

When Doug (Golden Retriver) was a pup he put is head into a bon-fire and his wiskers caught on fire. The first thing my dad could think of was to grab him and put him in the pool. Douggy sank straight to the bottom and I had to jump in and get him. I think that experiences like that really stay with a Dog unless you help them combat their fears. After this we would get in the pool with him, holding onto him and then we would let him go and encourage him to swim to the shallow end of the pool staying with him the whole time, after a few lessons like that he would love getting in the Pool its just like having a child, they need encouragement, love and support.

Hope this helps

GSD-Girl